The Rev. Tim Schenck, rector of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Mass., looks for God amid domestic chaos

Mystery Lilac

About this blog

Tim Schenck is an Episcopal priest, husband to Bryna, father to Benedict and Zachary, and \x34master\x34 to Delilah (about 50 in dog years). Since 2009 I've been the rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Mass. (on the
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Tim Schenck is an Episcopal priest, husband to Bryna, father to Benedict and Zachary, and \x34master\x34 to Delilah (about 50 in dog years). Since 2009 I've been the rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Mass. (on the South Shore of Boston). I've also served parishes in Maryland and New York. When I'm not tending to my parish, hanging out with my family, or writing, I can usually be found drinking good coffee -- not that drinking coffee and these other activities are mutually exclusive. I hope you'll visit my website at www.frtim.com to find out more about me, read some excerpts from my book \x34What Size are God's Shoes: Kids, Chaos & the Spiritual Life\x34 (Morehouse, 2008), and check out some recent sermons.

I spent many happy days in Highland Park when I was growing up. So, as I was passing by yesterday, I took a short break for a stroll. This beautiful, low spreading lilac shrub caught my attention. Lilacs are beautiful in flower, but they can become unkempt and mildewy of not properly sited or cared for. They also lack fall color, which is a tough sell for a deciduous plant.

This mystery lilac, however, is compact and architectural. The flowers are arranged more closely around the stem, upright like a bottle-brush, and its narrower leaves are perfectly in scale. At under two feet high, it is a suitable foreground plant, and could be used effectively along a stone wall. I think it will look neater than a large lilac after the flowers are gone, but that remains to be verified.

According to Olmsted’s plan, Highland Park was meant to promote Rochester’s role as a center for shrub propagation and commerce, as represented by the once-renown Ellwanger and Barry nursery, which provided many of the park’s specimens.